Try to find answers to your questions before you use the “Ask a Librarian” service.
In order to become a registered reader of our library, please visit the main information and registration desk (on the 2nd floor) and follow these steps:
You can also obtain a reader pass and modify or update your registration details via the e-service portal ibiblioteka.lt.
A reader pass enables you to use in-library computers, order publications from the depository, use remote services (access subscription databases and services offered at ibiblioteka.lt), and book meeting rooms for up to 2 hours free of charge.
Yes.
If you are already registered at a public library and have a reader’s card, you can use an electronic version of the card in addition to the physical card. You can find it by logging in to the iLibrary portal, going to My iLibrary and selecting Reader’s Certificate. There you will find a barcode with a certificate number, which is your reader’s certificate that you can use in libraries.
You can find the publications available in the library by exploring the interactive service portal ibiblioteka.lt. Older foreign-language books (acquired by the library prior to 1994) that have not yet been included in the National Library’s Online Catalogue, can be found by using the National Library’s Image Catalogue.
Data on library holdings is provided by 76 Lithuanian libraries and their branches. The list of libraries and other information about ibiblioteka.lt can be viewed here.
You can choose the dates you want your order to be fulfilled:
We recommend that you wait for an email notification when your books are ready before going to the library. If you order at the library, you may have to wait up to an hour for your books.
Only users with a valid LIBIS Reader Card can order books.
To order a document on ibiblioteka.lt, please follow these steps:
The libraries you are registered with will be displayed;
You can check information about your orders by activating the ‘My iLibrary’ ‘Orders’ links in the portal’s top menu bar.
You can choose the dates you want your order to be fulfilled:
We recommend that you wait for an email notification when your books are ready before going to the library. If you order at the library, you may have to wait up to an hour for your books.
Books must be picked up the same day, before the library closes.
From the General Collection, the Leisure Reading, the American Space and the Vilnius Jewish Public Library Collection:
From the Open Fund for Children’s and Youths Literature:
The deadline for returning books can be extended by 14 days, unless you have a book that has not been returned on time or is reserved by another user.
You can extend the return period independently by logging in to ibiblioteka.lt.
You cannot extend the return period for the following reasons:
You can pick up your General Collections and Leisure Reading Collections book orders from the Information and Registration Desk on the 2nd floor, Room 202. Books are borrowed with a reader’s card at the self-service machine.
Books from the Leisure Reading Collection can be borrowed with a reader’s card at the self-service machine on the 2nd floor, at the main entrance (lobby).
Books ordered from the Children’s and Youths Literature Department can be collected from the Children’s and Youth’s Literature Reading Room. Books can be borrowed with a reader’s card at the self-service machine in the Reading Room.
You can return books borrowed from the General Funds and the Leisure Reading Fund:
Books borrowed from the Children’s and Youths Literature Department Fund can be returned at the self-service machine in the Children’s and Youths Literature Reading Room.
During the library’s closed hours, you can return books to the book return box at the main entrance.
You do not need a library card to return books.
If you lose or damage a book, you must replace it with an identical book or a book recognised by the Library as equivalent. If you cannot return the same book, go to the library to find out what equivalent book the library recognises as a replacement.
It may be that the book you want:
Other reasons:
If you have any problems, please post your question in the Help section of the portal under Ask a Librarian, or email
There is a password reminder function on ibiblioteka.lt.
You can re-register not only at the library, but also on the ibiblioteka.lt e-services portal. After logging in to your account, select the message Re-register.
Periodicals are only available in the library and are available on request:
A set is a bound set of single-title newspapers or magazines, depending on the periodicity of the period, and may consist of monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly publications.
Audiovisual and sheet music publications are available in the Music and Visual Arts Reading Room. For more information click here.
You can read eBooks (EPUB and PDF format) by logging in to your account on the iLibrary portal and using the eBook reader installed on the portal, with technical security measures to protect against unauthorised copying and/or distribution. The portal is compatible with the most popular web browsers Google Chrome, Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Safari. If you are unable to access your account using a specialised web browser, it is not compatible with the portal. To read eBooks, you need a LIBIS Reader Card, a smart device and an internet connection. Some eBooks have a limited number of valid licences. If the maximum number of readers has been reached, you will see the Reserve button. There are open access e-books on the portal whose licences do not restrict the number of concurrent readers.
You can read borrowed eBooks for 30 calendar days, with the possibility of extending the reading time for a further 15 days if they are not reserved by another reader. You can only read a maximum of 2 eBooks at a time. If you forget to return an e-book, the app will return it automatically at the end of the loan period.
Log in to the ibiblioteka.lt e-services portal.
Click on the menu item My iLibrary.
After selecting Orders, go to the E-Publications tab. In the Orders table you will see borrowing details and action icons.
Once you have opened the icon (More actions with record), you can return the document. If you have not read the document within the time limit and you have not had the opportunity to extend the reading time, the system will automatically perform the return action on the specified date.
To borrow an e-book using your personal reader, log in to the iLibrary portal and select the e-book.
The mobile user interface is tailored to the manufacturers’ supported mobile web browsers Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Apple Safari, Opera running on Android and iOS operating systems. “Amazon Kindle” is a specialised reader and if you are unable to log in to your account using the reader’s web browser, it means that the browser is not compatible with the ibiblioteka.lt portal. Please note that it is not possible to download e-books to your reader.
The National Library of Lithuania does not lend e-readers. Some libraries belonging to the LIBIS system provide such a service. As each library has its own service rules, we would kindly ask you to check with the individual library about the conditions for lending. You can order an e-reader by logging into the iLibrary portal.
You can read e-books from the Taylor & Francis Group and De Gruyter that have been purchased by the National Library on the Library‘s terminals. They are also available on the library‘s iBiblioteka (iLibrary) portal.
If you want to find all De Gruyter e-books acquired by the National Library of Lithuania, you can find a list of them in the Foreign Databases section.
To find all Taylor & Francis Group eBooks acquired by the National Library of Lithuania, in the iBiblioteka portal, in the Advanced Search window, follow these steps
To read these eBooks outside the library, log in remotely. This will open a list of databases subscribed to by the National Library, with links to the De Gruyter eBook database and the Taylor & Francis Group eBook database. Once you have activated your chosen link, you will be taken to a web page where you can search for books.
Yes, there is Wi-Fi available at the library and you can use your laptop in the library. Only registered users may access the internet from the National Library’s computers. If you want to register to use public access computers, please approach the main information and registration desk (on the 2nd floor) or ask the reading room staff and they will create an account for you.
Foreign subscription databases that can be accessed outside the library are marked with an icon. If you are a registered user of the National Library, log in via EZproxy and enter your library card number.
For full-text articles published in foreign periodicals, you should search subscription databases and open access journals abroad.
Cartographic documents are stored in the General Collections. Bibliographic descriptions of these documents can be found in the detailed search of the portal ibiblioteka.lt by selecting TYPE AND FORM → Cartographic material, LIBRARY DATA → Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, FUND → Cartographic Fund. We recommend reading cartographic documents in the Media Reading Room (2nd floor).
For information on the National Library’s paid services and price lists, see the “Paid services” section of the “Services” section of the website.
There is a copying, printing and scanning service using multifunctional self-service machines. Users wishing to use this service are registered at the Information and Registration Desk (2nd floor) and a virtual account is created for them. Registered library users can access the machines using a reader’s card (the number is scanned by a magnetic card reader), while library guests are given a special PIN code. For more information, please see the “Paid services” section of the “Services” section of the website.
Interlibrary Loan – ILL is a form of cooperation between libraries where one library lends documents or copies of articles to another library.
The National Library provides ILL services:
Attention!
You can book the Music Space yourself one week in advance on the booking website menai.lnb.lt, email
The purpose of this service is to provide concise information. We will email answers to questions about the library, its collections, how services work, the National Library’s databases, catalogues and how to search for documents. More information.
We will answer your question within two business day of receiving it, except for weekends and unscheduled occasions when the National Library is closed.
If you wish to receive a copy of an article by post, please refer to the Interlibrary Loan (IL) section. This is a paid service. You can also order certain documents through ibiblioteka.lt.
The National Library invites visitors to make use of its meeting rooms. We will gladly host students working on projects, business meetings, various club meetings and anyone looking for a convenient and well-equipped space for productive meetings. More information ›
The library does not provide genealogical information. Please refer to the Lithuanian State Historical Archives with such enquiries. The office can be found at the following address:
Mailing address:
Mindaugo 8,
LT-03107 Vilnius, Lithuania
Telephone: +370 5 219 5320, +370 5 213 7484
Fax: +370 5 278 43 69
E-mail:
